This present application is related to a contemporaneously filed US patent applications entitled xe2x80x9cMULTI-PORT MODULAR JACK ASSEMBLY WITH DETACHABLE INSERT SUBASSEMBLESxe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9cELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH INSERT-MOLDING STRUCTURExe2x80x9d, invented by the same inventor, and assigned to the common assignee.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to a stacked modularjack.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modular jacks are often used in computers to interconnect the computers with electronic peripheral equipments. As multi-function trend becomes more popular in computer industry, while spaces on printed circuit boards (PCBs) of the computers are limited, stacked modular jacks have been widely adopted in electrical connectors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,639,267, issued to Loudermilk on Jun. 17, 1997, discloses a modular jack having a housing with a rear loading bay, and a backplate sub-assembly with an L-shaped backplate and a plurality of contact pin arrays mounted to the L-shaped backplate. A plurality of channels are formed in inner walls of the L-shaped backplate. Each contact pin array has an L-shaped unitary insulative member engaging with the channels of the L-shaped backplate. The backplate sub-assembly further has a shield plate disposed between two rows of the contact pin arrays. The backplate sub-assembly is received in the rear loading bay of the housing.
However, there is no engaging means between the two rows of the contact pin arrays, so that during the process of assembling the sub-assembly to the housing, the two contact pin arrays may relatively move, and the contact pins of the modular jack may be deformed under high temperature. Furthermore, such a modular jack without filter components cannot satisfy a high frequency application.
Hence, an improved modular jack is needed to eliminate the above-mentioned defects of the conventional modular jacks.
The main object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with terminals of subassemblies fixed relatively.
An electrical connector according to the present invention has an insulative housing, a plurality of subassemblies. Each subassembly has a base member, a first, second and third printed circuit boards (PCBs), a pair of insert portions respectively mounted on the first and second PCBs, and a plurality of terminals insert molded in the insert portions. One of the insert portions has a first upper surface, a first pair of positioning posts protruding on first the upper surface, a first pair of mounting holes defined in the first upper surface, and a first latch formed on one lateral side thereof. The other insert portion has a second upper surface, a second pair of positioning posts and a second pair of mounting holes respectively protruding on and defined in the second upper surface, and a second latch formed on one lateral side thereof. The first positioning posts and the first mounting holes engage with corresponding second mounting holes and second positioning posts. The first, second and third PCBs respectively have a plurality of through holes. The base member has a plurality of contacts for soldering to or engaging with the through holes of the first, second and third PCBs.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.